Ministry of Forestry Directs 5.67 Million Hectares of Forest for Sustainable Business

MAKASSAR, GARISBUMI.com – The Ministry of Forestry has designated around 5.67 million hectares of forest area in the Forest Utilization Direction Map (PAPH) for Forest Utilization Business Licensing (PBPH) in 2026.

An area approximately 85 times the area of DKI Jakarta can be proposed for sustainable business activities in production and protected forest areas. Its use is not only directed at wood, but also food security, energy, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), environmental services, and carbon reserves.

Director General of Sustainable Forest Management (PHL) of the Ministry of Forestry, Laksmi Wijayanti, said PAPH 2026 was designed to encourage the use of forest areas without having to remove forest cover.

"We want to prove that forests that remain standing can be more profitable than converted forests. PAPH is a momentum for correcting space utilization in the forestry sector," said Laksmi in the 2026 PAPH Socialization in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Thursday, 24 September 2026.

The South Sulawesi Provincial Government welcomes this policy as a bridge between the potential of forest areas and their legal use.

Secretary of the South Sulawesi Environment and Forestry Service, Erwin Werianto, said that the implementation of PAPH in the regions would be supported by 24 Forest Management Units (KPH) as managers at the site level.